Indian Air Force’s (IAF) plans to acquire two new Airborne Early Warning Systems (AWACS) ‘eyes in the sky’ from Israel and Russia have witnessed a steep hike in price of the surveillance platforms, forcing the government to put the project on hold.

India had acquired three AWACS systems in 2003 in which the Russian Ilyushin-76 aircraft were equipped with two Israel-made sophisticated radars at the cost of $1.1 billion (over Rs 7,035 crore) to carry out surveillance of enemy aircraft, drones and cruise missiles at ranges up to 400-500 km inside their territory.

“The price of the two new AWACS has been quoted very high. Vendors have asked for much more as compared to the cost of the three planes bought earlier. It cannot be agreed to and that is why the programme has been stalled,” senior government sources told Mail Today.

“The main reason behind the steep jump in the price is the almost three-fold increase in the price of the IL-76 planes, on which the radars have to be mounted,” sources said. It was earlier expected that the deal would be clinched at the time of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel earlier this year, but it could not be completed.

The issue over the high price has been holding the deal for a long time. On several past occasions the issue of acquiring the AWACs has been coming up at meeting of Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which is the apex body of the Defence ministry to acquire weapon systems for the armed forces. India has also decided to develop an indigenous AWACS as the DAC has given clearance to a proposal to acquire two Airbus-330 planes and build an AWACS, which can provide 360-degree surveillance like the Israeli radar.

The project would start with two planes, which are likely to take five to six years to be completed and once they are successful, the DRDO would take sanction for six more aircraft under the programme.

The process of completing trials of DRDO-developed Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft is on. These are smaller in size and have 240-degree coverage. AEWC planes have been deployed at Bathinda and undergoing trials, after which they would be used for operational flying by the service.

Both Pakistan and China have an edge over India in terms of the surveillance equipment, as China has more than 20 of such AWACS planes, both new and old. Pakistan acquired four AEW&C surveillance aircraft four to five years ago from Sweden and has also started taking the Chinese AWACS planes in its force.

A number of other projects of the IAF are also stuck with different vendors due to price hike issue. This includes the Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft planes for the Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team and the Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft programme.
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The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are at odds over development of an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) capability, with DRDO promoting indigenous development of the radar system and the service wanting an overseas acquisition. DRDO has floated a global tender for aircraft for mounting the home-grown radar so it is not put on hold by the new government, an IAF source said. But since the AWACS radar exists only on the drawing board, completion of the programme by 2020 is unlikely to be achieved, given DRDO’s history with high-technology projects.The IAF has an urgent requirement for 10 additional AWACS aircraft and does not want to wait for indigenous development...

...Action is also in hand to procure two more of such systems. However, unconfirmed reports in the media indicate that the deal has run into some rough weather due to sharp cost escalation.The IAF is hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon enough.

The AWACS fleet has enhanced the capability of the IAF to track movement of aircraft operating at even ultra low levels deep inside enemy territory as well as direct own combat aircraft employed in the air defence role. Operating in a net-centric environment, the fleet of AWACS aircraft of the IAF provides enhanced situational awareness for all elements and the capability to project aerospace power effectively. In the assessment of the IAF, in the long term, the service needs a total of 15 AWACS platforms including the five already under induction, to provide round the clock surveillance of the complete land borderswith the two not-so-friendly neighbours...

Various devices or techniques to enhance or intensify military force have existed perhaps from the earliest period of human conflict but the term “force multipliers” has become popular in military circles only in the last few decades. According to Wikipedia, “Force multiplication, refers to an attribute or a combination of attributes which make a given force more effective than that same force would be without it.” Hence a force multiplier is anything that substantially enhances the combat potential, impact and effectiveness of a given force. The commonly accepted force multipliers in the domain of air power include Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA), Precision Guided Munitions (PGM), Electronic Countermeasures (ECM), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), stealth capability and military satellites...

...The proposed deal to acquire 36 Dassault Rafale jets off-the-shelf will hopefully bring these frontline fighters within two or three years and shore up the IAF’s rapidly dwindling combat fleet. But this is merely a stopgap measure that will still leave a large deficit. Clearly, the IAF will be forced to make do with fewer combat aircraft for many years. And the best way to get the most out of what it has may be to acquire “force multipliers” in adequate numbers...

...Awesome AWACS

In any contest to determine the most potent force multiplier, the AWACS would win hands down. It is a technology-packed aircraft that has radar, sensors and secure communications all rolled into one. Flying in the relative safety of friendly territory it can scan a vast volume of enemy airspace both for offensive and defensive operations. As the strike aircraft navigate towards their target the AWACS can provide target information and guidance to the strike pilots and target tracking to the weaponry. At the same time it can keep track of enemy aircraft that threaten to attack the strike force or friendly bases, right from the moment they get airborne and orchestrate the reaction of the defensive forces. It can thus function practically as an Air Defence Direction Centre (ADDC) and provide true area defence. Any nation that has this most coveted force multiplier will logically deploy it in every major military campaign.

The IAF too has enjoyed AWACS capability for over six years and it has swiftly become a mandatory component of air exercises and operations. It was on May 28, 2009, that the service inducted the first of three AWACS, consisting of the Israel Aerospace Industries’ Phalcon system built around the ELTA ELW-2090 AESA radar mounted on a Russian IL-76 A-50 four-engine jet. The third AWACS was received in 2011. The Phalcon is an exceedingly capable system with an electronically steered phasedAlthough the procurement of two more AWACS was cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in February 2014, the contract is yet to be finalised...

...Airborne Forever? Flight Refuelling Aircraft

Flight Refuelling Aircraft are another powerful means to enhance the capability of a combat fleet. The FRA enable strike aircraft to take off with limited fuel with full weapon load and then be refuelled one or more times en route to the target. This can extend their radius of action to a remarkable degree.
An added advantage is that the precious strike squadrons can be based deep inside the country where they are far less vulnerable to strike by enemy aircraft than if located at an airfield close to the border.

The IAF acquired a batch of six four-engine IL-78MKI FRA from Uzbekistan in 2003 to equip the 78 Squadron based at Agra. The IL-78MKI has a total fuel capacity of about 110 tonnes and can refuel six to eight aircraft per mission. Within a short period, its force multiplier
capability was proved and its potential for out-of-area contingencies and operations against China was appreciated. The IAF decided that all future aircraft must compulsorily have flight refuelling equipment installed and initiated plans to induct more tanker aircraft.

However, as with so many other vital defence acquisitions, what should have been a straightforward proposal, has seen many twists and turns. For over two years, an approved deal for six Airbus twin-engine A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft has been meandering through “final negotiations”. The extremely versatile MRTT, a military derivative of the A330-200 airliner, carries 111 tonnes of fuel and 45 tonnes of non-fuel payload. Its cabin can also be modified to carry up to 380 passengers. It is a generation ahead of the IL-78 in technology and has far lower lifecycle costs. An enhanced version, likely to be supplied to customers from 2017 onwards, has more advanced avionics, a higher maximum takeoff weight, improved aerodynamics, reduced fuel consumption and other enhancements...

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Tuesday cleared a proposal to acquire two more Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) at the cost of 7,500 crore under a tripartite contract with Israel and Russia.

The Indian Air Force already had three such platforms, which give an ability to see deep inside enemy territory. All three AWACS, comprise Israeli-made radars mounted on Russian heavy transport planes IL-76.

The CCS chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modialso approved a proposal for induction of the fourth regiment of supersonic cruise missile Brahmos and two more of Pinaka rocket launchers in the army.

Such airborne surveillance systems play a critical role in modern-day warfare because they can detect incoming fighters, drones and cruise missiles.

IAF currently has only three AWACS, with Israeli Phalcon radar systems mounted on Russian IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft.

If airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) are considered "eyes in the sky", India is battling debilitating cataract in this military arena. Even as China and Pakistan induct more such force-multipliers, the IAF is faced with a double whammy due to a deadlocked deal with Israel and Russia as well as painfully slow progress in indigenous efforts.

IAF currently has only three AWACS, with Israeli Phalcon radar systems mounted on Russian IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft, which were inducted in 2009-2011 under a $1.1 billion deal inked in 2004.

The force also inducted an indigenous AEW&C (airborne early-warning and control system) christened "Netra" in February this year, about seven years behind schedule. Moreover, while Netra has a normal radar range of just 250-km with 240-degree coverage, AWACS like the Phalcon have an over 400-km range with 360-degree coverage.

Such airborne surveillance systems play a critical role in modern-day warfare because they can detect incoming fighters, drones and cruise missiles much before ground based radars as well as direct air defence fighters during combat operations with enemy jets.

So, it's no wonder both Pakistan and China have made them a top military priority. Pakistan now has seven such platforms, with the Chinese Karakoram Eagle ZDK-03 AWACS being the latest inductions.

"They are on course to get three more. China, in turn, has well over 20 AWACS, including the latest KJ-500s," said a source.
India, in contrast, continues to flounder. The case for two more "follow-on" Phalcon AWACS, in the tripartite deal with Russia and Israel, remains stuck due to sharp cost escalation, as was earlier reported by TOI.

Sources say the government is ready to pay only about $800 million for the two AWACS, and not the $1.3 billion being demanded by the original equipment manufacturers.

"Russia has majorly jacked up the prices for the IL-76s, which is unacceptable to the government," said a source.

On the indigenous front, the two aircraft under the AWACS-India project will be ready only by 2024-2025 at the earliest. Though the defence ministry approved the Rs 5,113 crore project in March 2015, under which 360-degree coverage indigenous AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars are to be mounted on Airbus A-330 wide-body jets, the contract is yet to be inked.

Sources say it will take 80 months to operationalise the two AWACS once the contract is inked sometime next year. Six more AWACS are likely to be ordered once the project takes concrete shape, with structural and electrical changes to the A-330 aircraft to fit the radar domes on the top.

The AWACS-India project, with 80:20 cost sharing between IAF and DRDO, is far more ambitious than the Rs 2,425 crore project for the three Netra aircraft. Under it, indigenous 240-degree coverage radars have been fitted on three smaller Brazilian Embraer-145 jets. The first Netra is now undergoing operational test-runs at the Bhatinda airbase after initial operational clearance, while the second is awaiting final operational clearance. The third will be retained by the DRDO for R&D work.

Such airborne surveillance systems play a critical role in modern-day warfare because they can detect incoming fighters, drones and cruise missiles.

IAF currently has only three AWACS, with Israeli Phalcon radar systems mounted on Russian IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft.

If airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) are considered "eyes in the sky", India is battling debilitating cataract in this military arena. Even as China and Pakistan induct more such force-multipliers, the IAF is faced with a double whammy due to a deadlocked deal with Israel and Russia as well as painfully slow progress in indigenous efforts.

IAF currently has only three AWACS, with Israeli Phalcon radar systems mounted on Russian IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft, which were inducted in 2009-2011 under a $1.1 billion deal inked in 2004.

The force also inducted an indigenous AEW&C (airborne early-warning and control system) christened "Netra" in February this year, about seven years behind schedule. Moreover, while Netra has a normal radar range of just 250-km with 240-degree coverage, AWACS like the Phalcon have an over 400-km range with 360-degree coverage.

Such airborne surveillance systems play a critical role in modern-day warfare because they can detect incoming fighters, drones and cruise missiles much before ground based radars as well as direct air defence fighters during combat operations with enemy jets.

So, it's no wonder both Pakistan and China have made them a top military priority. Pakistan now has seven such platforms, with the Chinese Karakoram Eagle ZDK-03 AWACS being the latest inductions.

"They are on course to get three more. China, in turn, has well over 20 AWACS, including the latest KJ-500s," said a source.
India, in contrast, continues to flounder. The case for two more "follow-on" Phalcon AWACS, in the tripartite deal with Russia and Israel, remains stuck due to sharp cost escalation, as was earlier reported by TOI.

Sources say the government is ready to pay only about $800 million for the two AWACS, and not the $1.3 billion being demanded by the original equipment manufacturers.

"Russia has majorly jacked up the prices for the IL-76s, which is unacceptable to the government," said a source.

On the indigenous front, the two aircraft under the AWACS-India project will be ready only by 2024-2025 at the earliest. Though the defence ministry approved the Rs 5,113 crore project in March 2015, under which 360-degree coverage indigenous AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars are to be mounted on Airbus A-330 wide-body jets, the contract is yet to be inked.

Sources say it will take 80 months to operationalise the two AWACS once the contract is inked sometime next year. Six more AWACS are likely to be ordered once the project takes concrete shape, with structural and electrical changes to the A-330 aircraft to fit the radar domes on the top.

The AWACS-India project, with 80:20 cost sharing between IAF and DRDO, is far more ambitious than the Rs 2,425 crore project for the three Netra aircraft. Under it, indigenous 240-degree coverage radars have been fitted on three smaller Brazilian Embraer-145 jets. The first Netra is now undergoing operational test-runs at the Bhatinda airbase after initial operational clearance, while the second is awaiting final operational clearance. The third will be retained by the DRDO for R&D work.

Its a mistake of IAF & MOD also. They always had a requirement of six such aircraft but instead of making one single order, they decided to split it creating this situation,

Click to expand...

What Was this contract Inked For Than

India quietly signed two contracts worth $1.4bn with Israel Aerospace Industries for the purchase of two additional Phalcon/IL-76 Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) valued at $1 billion and 10 Heron TP unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) during the recent visit of Israeli President Reuven Rivil to India.

Russia has flown its first prototype A-100 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft based on the upgraded Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A (Il-476) airframe, it was announced on 20 November.

The A-100 Premier, as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation named it, made its maiden flight out of the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex (TANTK), located near the Sea of Azov in the far west of the country. According to the MoD, all of the aircraft’s systems, including those associated with the rotating dorsal rotodome, were checked-out during the flight ahead of further trials.

This first flight milestone came three years after Russia’s TASS news agency announced that the first Il-76MD-90A airframe had arrived at the TANTK facility for conversion into the A-100 AWACS configuration in 2014, and six years after plans to do so were first disclosed in 2011.

While few details pertaining to the A-100 have been released, it has been revealed that it will be built around an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, as opposed to the mechanically scanned radar of the current A-50 (NATO reporting name ‘Mainstay’) that it is intended to eventually replace. Jane’s has previously reported that this new AESA will probably be the JSC REC ‘Vega’ Premier radar that is scanned mechanically in azimuth and electronically in elevation. State media said that this radar can detect airborne targets out to 600 km, and ships out to 400 km.

While the AESA radar will provide a dramatic improvement in the platform's ability to detect and track both airborne and land-based targets, as well as making for a more reliable and easier to maintain solution, the move to the Il-76MD-90A airframe will bestow advantages from the new avionics (reduced crew workload), and improved fuel efficiency (cheaper to operate, and with increased time on station).http://www.janes.com/article/75812/russia-s-a-100-awacs-makes-maiden-flight

NEW DELHI: The next-generation airborne early warning and control system (AWACS), with a 360-degree scan being developed by the DRDO, would also double up as an air-to-air refueller following a request by the Indian Air Force (IAF), according to a top DRDOofficial.

"Negotiations with Airbus had been completed on the basis of the in-principal approval given by the government and an RFP (request for proposal) that was floated. We will be buying six aircraft, and may buy two more under the option clause later," S. Christopher, DRDO chief, told IANS.

The Airbus A-330, a medium to long-range wide-body twin-engined jet, which emerged as the single bidder for the tender floated by India, is likely to be the platform for the next generation AWACS systems, which will double up as mid-air refuellers.

"Adding this refuelling capacity will give a multi-functional role to the platform. It will also be economic as the cost will be around 36 per cent lower," Christopher said.

As the proposal was put to the air force, it asked DRDO if it was possible to include air-to-air refuelling. "The AWACS fly with buddy aircraft to protect it, which can also be fuelled by the same aircraft," he said.

Since the Airbus A-330 had already an in-principal approval for the AWACS system, the DRDO did not want to go through the process again which may have resulted in cost escalation of the platform.

The DRDO official said a "tech scan" of the platform was carried out, and it was found that the Airbus A-330 could be used for both purposes. The committee undertaking the tech scan had a member from the DRDO, apart from the IAF and the defence ministry.

The IAF at present has two AWACS systems -- the Israeli Phalcon AWACS on the Russian IL-76 and an indigenous system mounted on a Brazilian Embraer-145 that was handed over to IAF by DRDO at the Aero India 2017. Two more Embraer aircraft are being fitted with the system.

The IAF at present operates six IL-78 planes for air-to-air refuelling and has a requirement for more. Incidentally, in 2016, India had scrapped a deal for acquisition of six Airbus A-330 mid-air refuelling aircraft.

The indigenous AWACS have a 240 degree scanning capability, which means it scans the area on both sides, but not in the front or back.

The new system being developed by DRDO would have AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars with 360 degree capability, which can detect incoming aerial threats like hostile fighters, drones and cruise missiles from 400-km away. India will be only the second country in the world after Israel to develop such a system.

NEW DELHI: The next-generation airborne early warning and control system (AWACS), with a 360-degree scan being developed by the DRDO, would also double up as an air-to-air refueller following a request by the Indian Air Force (IAF), according to a top DRDOofficial.